What's the square thing they open and shut on a movie?

Question

Like before they film a scene. It looks like a clip thing. They open it in front of the camera, say some stuff usually like "take two.." then shut and ''ACTION''.... why and what is it called?
(If you don't understand question then don't waste your time, thanks)

Answer 1

it is called a CLAP BOARD, or alternately a SLATE. actually the thing you see is usually providing both functions.

In the old days of film, the sound was recorded on a tape or mag film using a piece of equipment entirely separate from the camera. Sometimes a tone called PILOTTONE was generated by the camera and recorded with the sound on a separate track, in other cases a crystal was used to derive syncro signals.

The desired result was that the speed of picture and sound were locked together. But the start point was random, the camera and sound were started by two different guys. So the Clap Board is used. The visual closing of the hinged board is recorded by the film, and the snap noise is recorded on the audio track. The SLATE is just that, a piece of slate with the scene and take number written on it, at the beginning of a take an AD would read the slate so the sound track had the same identification. It did not take long at all until the SLATE and the CLAPSTICK was combined into a single unit.

During editing, the movie visuals and the sound are (were, actually) all on perforated stock, and locked together in an editing machine. The slate info used to find the proper scene, and the clap used to get proper LIP SYNC.

Today, although the stick may be clapped just for luck or something, the sound tracks are synchronized by SMTP time code, thats the LED numbers you see on later slates.

And once the negatives from the movie camera are processed, they are laser scanned on to a hard drive at very high resolutions (4000 X 2000 pixels, or 8 megapixels, is common these days) and the sound is synchronized by using the time code data.

The picture does not appear on film again until a PRINTER INTERPOSITIVE or even printer negative is laser scanned back to film to make the 35MM prints for old fashioned theatres.

Modern theatres use a SONY 4000 X 2000 digital video projector (they only cost $100,000) the movie is delivered via regular hard drives. 4K projection (as it is called) has approximately 4 times the resolution of a 35 mm print.

Answer 2

Clap board or sticks. It's to establish synch running speed between camera and recorder as well as scene identification for the editor in postproduction. I think all that stuff is done electronically now. You're probably seeing a low budget producer in action or an old film between takes. I'm open to correction on the electronic thingy but I heard about this years ago through a D.P. magazine.

Answer 3

Clapperboard

Answer 4

Clapperboard - used to be a blackbord with the scene details chalked on it each time. Now they use a sort of digital diplay with the details - they still clap it shut though.

Answer 5

it's called a clapperboard and it's used to synchronise the film to the sound when editing

Answer 6

it's called a marker - I believe
it has the info of the scene being shot on it, so that in editing, they can easily pick out which "takes" are usable.
each marker would mark the name of movie, the date, the scene and the "take" number.....

I think

Answer 7

It's a "Clapperboard" and it was first used as an aid to synchronising sound and picture.

Answer 8

Like when you play guestures, you use something that looks like that. I'd say clapperboard, yes!

Answer 9

Clapperboard.

Many other names are commonly used, including clapboard, slate, slate board, sync slate, sticks, board, and marker.

Answer 10

yeah it's defo a clapperboard